RUNNING AFTER AN ISLAND.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 63, 16 August 1884, Page 5

RUNNING AFTER AN ISLAND.

It was nearly seven years ago that I signed articles as first mate of the old Dalhousie, a London ship, employed generally on the Australian and New Zealand lino. On the occasion to which I refer she was bound to Hobart Town, Van Diemon's Land, with a miscellaneous cargo, which included a great number of iron buildings in dotached pieces, for churches or schools, or some such edifices, which the owners had sent out by way of speculation. They were not bad ballast, and could not catch fire by spontaneous (or, in fact, any sort of) combustion ; so we were pretty well satisfied with our freight. The ship was not built for passenger traffic, but, as we had a few spare cabins, some five or six passengers were embarked at first-class rates ; and altogether we iiad a fair promise of as pleasant passage as one could well expect. We cleared the channel with a fine easterly wind, and in a short time made the line. The first, and, up to that period, only inconvenience which we suffered from was a want of water, which, being contained entirely in casks, had from constant rolling become foul, so that a few hours' exposure to a tropical sun made it turn almost putrid. However, we managed to catch a sufficient quantity of rain to last us for a few days, and the captain promised to put into St. Helena and get a fresh supply ; so we held on with what we had, and trusted that another week would enable us to replenish our stock. We had got down to within about a hundred miles of the island, and expected to make it next day. That night it was my first watch, and when twelve oVock (or, as we should say, eight bells) was struck I was glad to go below and turn in. Blow high or blow low, people who keep watch seldom remain long awake when their time comes for a snooze, and in less than ten minutes I was fast asleep. It must have been about five bells in the middle watch when I was woke up by some one oponing the cabin door. It was the second mate, who begged me to come on deck directly. Accustomed as we all are to sudden calls of this nature, and supposing that something serious must have occurred to render my presence necessary, I hastily arose and slipped on the necessary articles of dress. The mate had returned to the deck the moment he saw I -vs as well awake, so that I had no opportunity of asking him what was the matter. In a few moments I stood beside him on the poop, and, not having noticed any particular reason for being called, somewhat peremptorily asked him why he had roused me. " The reason is, sir, that I am afraid something is wrong with the captain. He has altered the course ; and though there's a heavy squall coming up from the nor'-west he won't allow me to shorten sail ; and he's going on in his cabin in the queerest way imaginable. When I went below to report that it was coming over dark yonder, he told me to leave the cabin instantly, and followed me on deck. He then told the helmsman to put the helm down, and nearly brought us flat a-back ; if I hadn't rounded in the after braces, we should have been in a pretty fix. Then he made me try and wear, saying that he wasn't going to chase a runaway island for ever ; and at last, after boxhauling all round the cempass, he told me to make her course nor'-west and keep her so. You can see through the skylight what he's about below." I glanced through the wire-covered glass, and saw that Captain Armstrong was engaged in what, to say the best of it, was an extraordinary proceeding. A chart of the South Atlantic lay before him, and he was endeavouring with a penknife to erase from it the island of St. Helena. Wondering what he could be doing, I said to the second mate, " Shorten sail directly, Mr Jarvis, and I'll go below and tell the captain." So the watch was called up, and I left the poop and walked aft into the cabin. I ought, properly to have described Cap tain Armstrong to you when I commenced, By way of repairing the omisaion, however, I must inform you that in appearance he wasaman of considerable muscular strength, he was possessed of a tolerable education, and generally considered a fir^t-class navigator, and was reputed to be steady and eminently trustworthy ; he had already made two passages in this very ship, which had been fortunate in the weather experienced by her on both occasions. When I entered the cabin the captain paused in his singular employment and looked up. Seeing that it was I, he hastily dropped the knife, and said, " Do you want me?" in his usual tone. I replied that ] had come to inform him that we were shortening sail, and fully expected an explosion of anger on his part at this contradiction of his orders ; but I was mistaken. "Sit down, Wyndham," said he; "1 want to consult you on a delicate point." Wondering what he could mean, 1 obeyed, and seated myself at some little distance from him. I observed that he seemed to avoid the steady ga?e I fixed up on him, and glanced uneasily about the cabin as if he feared interruption. "You must know," began the captain "that some years ago my grandmothei died, and left me by her will a large estat< in Scotland and the Island of St. Helena.' If ever I opened my eyes widely in mj life I did on hearing Captain Armstrong in the gravest way imaginable, repeat th< above words. I immediately baw that '. had to deal with a man in one of the mos dangerous forms of lunacy, namely, mad 01 one point, but sane on eveiy other. .Tin full dangers of my position flashed acros my mind on the instant, and I perceiyei the necessity of caution, Tand of showinj apparent acquiescence in whatever he migh say. So I repressed the exclamation abou to rise to my lips, and merely nodded a: affirmation. The captain went on : "I perceive you are astonished that s undistinguished an individual should hay been left so large a legacy ; but when yo take into consideration the fact that I ar at the present moment the rightful heir t the crown, you will perhaps see less caus to be surprised. However, ib is needless t enter into these little family affairs, so will come to the matter I wish to consul you on. A few days ago I received a com munieation from my grandmother." " But I thought you said she was dead ? I could not forbear interrupting. " Exactly so. She, however, thought fil as I tell you, to pay me a visit a few night since, and told me that, as I had acte against her express directions in allowin the present usurper to remain on the throne she had caused the island to be removec and that all search for it on my part woul be useless. That her words were but te true our present position is a too satii tory proof. For two days 1 have careful! worked the reckoning, and find that w have actually passed twice over the form< site of the island. But I don't intend 1 give up the chase altogether, and I ha> just altered course to catch it ; if we shorte sail we shall probably be too late, for si will have moved it again, and our laboi will have been in vain. It was on th point I wished to ask your advice, as \ must catch the island, or we shall die f want of water." I listened in silence to this extraordina:

jsolvcd how to act. To have attempted < >rce would have possibly led to disturb- ' ig the crew and passengers, and to consult i ten just awakened from a sound sleep i ould havo been useless, as people seldom ' avo all their wits about them at that time. 1 lie night could do us no very great harm ; j I determined to try and persuade him 1 j intrust me with his orders, promising to ; lake all right, and in the morning take ich steps as might s*em advisable, with :ie concurrence of the other oiKcors and asscngers; so I quietly replied, "I quite ■ empathise with your determination, Cap- ■ lin Armstrong. If, as you say, we must nd the island, I do not see that we could 0 better" than avo are doing. I will sco ( :iat all possible sail is carried. By-the-y, have you any objection to letting me ; 3e your day's work ?" "None at all," replied the captain; '■ there it is." I ran my eye over the figures?, and per- ' ; eived that he had actually falsified tho ' alculation in such a manner as to place us bout a hundred and twenty miles to the ' Duthward of our proper position. To vgue the point, however, would, I felt, ' c utterly useless, so I said: "If you ■ itend to keep the morning Match, sir, you ad better turn in for an hour ; and I think ' j would be as well not to mention anything bout this to the passengers. They might ot see the necessity /f "Very true," said the captain; "I will oh Porhaps as you say, too, it will bo as i fell to have a nap before I go on deck. , !ood night." I left the cabin, and again , >ined the second mate on the poop, lie )oked at me as much as to say " Well ?" ; "You can go below if you like, Mr ] arvis," said I, "as I will look out for the ' c.st of tho -watch. The captain's reasons ov acting as, he did will be satisfactorily xphrncd to-morrow." 1 said this to prevent any hint of the true tate of affairs getting forward among the len. Mr Jarvit did not need to be told w ice he might go below , but disappeared nmediately. | You must understand that I was in a very Rigreeable position. To dispossess a uperior otliccr of his •mthority is always a elicate matter, unless very plain cause can ie shown for such a proceeding. I had had iroof plain enough myself ; but the danger ii the present case was that tho captain houlcl yet have cunning enough to pervade others of his .sanity, perhaps even by .n utter denial of all I could allege. 1 esolvcd not to call him at four o'clock, at .11 events, but to keep the morning watch nyself, not a little anxious as to the events ikely to follow. Contrary to my cvpoctaion, the captain did not make his appearin cc on deck. At half -past seven I was •elieved, and at eight sat down to breakfast ,vith the passengers. As he had not even :hen made his appearance, I desired his steward to go into his cabin and see if he ,va<? awake. Presently the man returned, md with alarm depicted on his countenance, ;aid : " Please, sir, I'm afraid the captain's .11 : he's in a fit, or something." One of the passengers, who was a young surgeon, offered to go in to him and ascertain what « as the matter. He came back in a few minutes, and :1 raw ing me aside, whispered : "The capLain has a violent attack of brain fever !" To say that I did not experience a feeling of relief when I heard these words would be untrue. I immediately sent for the second mate and carpenter, and in their presence and that of the passengers related the extraordinary occuirencc of the night. 1 was unanimously requested to make the island as speedily as possible : and such ananjrement^ as were possible having been made for nursing our unfortunate captain, w e altered course, and in a couple of days anchored in St. Helena Roads. We then obtained additional medical help ; and as s-oon as the captain could be moved ho was sent ashoic to the military hospital. As there was no one else who could take charge of the ship, and the crew unanimously expressed their confidence in myself, I resolved, on my own responsibility, to take the ship on to New Zealand, the doctors having given it as their opinion that the captain's recovery would be a matter of some months. So, having taken in water and stotes, w r c left the island after a stay of six days.